Poland: Network of East-West Women
Publication
Nasze ciała, nasze życie (2004)
Translation: Our Bodies, Our Lives
Language
Polish
Our Bodies, Ourselves Project
Network of East-West Women published a Polish adaptation of Our Bodies, Ourselves in 2004.
The book arrived on the heels of Poland’s post-communist transformation to a market economy, a period during which Polish society was extremely distrustful of healthcare reform and in need of unbiased, evidence-based information.
The book contains all the content in the U.S. edition of Our Bodies, Ourselves adapted to the Polish context and, in the case of one chapter, restructured to allow for a deeper discussion on the needs of older women, specific medical practices that affect the health and lives of women, and the power of knowledge.
The book is particularly relevant for young girls, who lack information about their bodies, sexuality and contraception. This is due to the influence of conservative political parties and the Catholic Church, both of which have successfully minimized access to sex education, birth control, and abortion, and promoted myths and stereotypes that place young women and men at risk. For this reason, the book places heavy emphasis on sexual and reproductive health and rights.
The OBOS Global Initiative helped increase access to this resource and has posted excerpts online (see below).
Content Available Online
Read the preface (in English)
Część I “Dbanie o siebie”
Rozdział 8 “Przemoc wobec kobiet” (“Violence”)
- Mity i fakty (“Myths and Facts”)
- Co możesz zrobić, jeżeli jesteś ofiarą przemocy domowej (“What You Can Do If You Are Being Battered”)
- Co policja i prokuratura mogą zrobić w twojej sprawie (“Police and Prosecutors Obligations”)
Część II “Związki i seksualność” (“Relationships and Sexuality”)
Rozdział 9 “Związki z mężczyznami”
- Orientacja seksualna i tożsamość płciowa (“Sexual orientation and gender identity”)
- Prywatne jest również społeczne (“Private is Political”)
- Decyzja o byciu samą (“Being Single”)
- Obszary konfliktowe w związkach z mężczyznami (“Conflicts in Relationships with Men”)
- Kobiety i mężczyźni: problemy z bliskością (“Women and Men: Fearing Intimacy”)
Rozdział 10 “Związki z kobietami”
- Wstęp (“Relationships with Women: Introduction”)
- Związki (“Relationships”)
- Wychowywanie dzieci (“Raising Children”)
Rozdział 11 “Seksualność”
- Społeczeństwo a seksualność Stereotypy (“Social Influences and Stereotypes”)
- Celibat (“Celibacy”)
- Przyjemność seksualna (“Sexual Pleasure”)
- Masturbacja (“Masturbation”)
- Seks i niepełnosprawność (“Sex and Disability”)
- Seks przez całe życie (“Sex at Every Age”)
Część III “Zdrowie seksualne i kontrola płodności”
Rozdział 12 “Zrozumieć swoje ciało: budowa narządów płciowych, zajście w ciążę i cykl menstruacyjny” (“Physiology and Anatomy”)
- Poznawanie narządów płciowych (“Sexual Anatomy: The Self Guided Tour”)
- Narządy miednicy (“Pelvis Organs”)
- Narządy płciowe, których nie widzisz (“Organs You Cannot See”)
- Stosunek do menstruacji (“Menstrual Flow: Our Attitudes”)
- Postawy wobec poszczególnych dolegliwości przedmenstruacyjnych i związanych z menstruacją (“Menstrual Suppression”)
Rozdział 13 “Metody kontroli płodności” (“Birth Control”)
- Decydowanie o tym, czy mieć dzieci (“Considering Parenting”)
- Wybór metody kontroli urodzeń (“Choosing Birth Control”)
- Antykoncepcja doraźna po stosunku bez zabezpieczenia (“Emergency Contraception”)
Rozdział 14 “Choroby przenoszone drogą płciową” (“Sexually Transmitted Infections”)
- Czy jestem w grupie narażonej na choroby przenoszone drogą płciową? (“How Likely Am I To Get An STI?”)
- Profilaktyka chorób przenoszonych drogą płciową (“Prevention of STI”)
Rozdział 15 “HIV/AIDS i kobiety” (“HIV”)
- Kobiety i HIV/ AIDS – zarys sytuacji (“Women and HIV”)
- Kilka terminów, które pomogą w zrozumieniu HIV/ AIDS (“Basic Glossary”)
- Lesbijki i HIV (“Lesbians and HIV”)
- Zmniejszanie ryzyka (“Protecting from HIV”)
- HIV a ciąża (“HIV and Pregnancy”)
Rozdział 17 “Aborcja” (“Abortion”)
- Aborcja w Polsce – stan prawny (“Abortion in Poland: Legal Issues”)
- Funkcjonowanie ustawy o planowaniu rodziny, ochronie płodu ludzkiego i warunkach dopuszczalności przerywania ciąży (“Family Planning Act in Poland”)
- Metody dokonywania aborcji (“Methods of Abortions”)
- Aborcja w pierwszym trymestrze ciąży (“First Trimester Abortion”)
- Nielegalna aborcja (“Illegal Abortion”)
Część III “Zdrowie seksualne i kontrola płodności”
Rozdział 18 “Techniki wspomagania rozrodu”
- Wstęp (“Assisted Reproduction: Introduction”)
- Zapłodnienie nasieniem dawcy (inseminacja) (“Donor Insemination”)
- Zapłodnienie in vitro i techniki pokrewne (“High Tech Assisted Reproductive Technology”)
- Problemy związane ze stosowaniem technik wspomaganego rozrodu (“Problems and Concerns”)
Część IV “Macierzyństwo” (“Pregnancy and Childbirth”)
Rozdział 19 “Ciąża”
- Jak dbać o siebie (“Taking Care of Yourself”)
Rozdział 20 “Narodziny dziecka”
- Atmosfera zaufania (“A Climate of Confidence”)
Część VI “Wybrane problemy zdrowotne i sposoby radzenia sobie z nimi”
Rozdział 26 “Problemy ginekologiczne”
- Wagina i zewnętrzne narządy płciowe (“Infection of Vagina and Neighbours”)
How to Obtain Print Copies
For information on obtaining copies of the Polish adaptation, please contact Network of East-West Women: neww [AT] neww.org /Tarasiewicz [AT] neww.org.pl
Community Action & Activism

Founded in 1991, the Network of East-West Women (NEWW) supports feminist organizations and issues related to women’s health and rights in Central and Eastern Europe, the Newly Independent States (CEE/NIS), and the Russian Federation.
“It is of vital importance for Polish women to know where and how to get help in case they are sick, what questions they should ask when talking to a physician, what rights they have as patients. The book tells them explicitly they have the RIGHT to demand the information they need.” – Network of East-West WomenThrough its Book and Journal Project, NEWW has established gender studies and women’s rights centers and libraries, and supported original research and publications on women’s changing situations throughout the region. Since 1991, the project has contributed more than 6,500 books and journals, and $150,000 in small grants, to feminist scholars, activists and NGOs.
The Polish Our Bodies, Ourselves is a key action tool, with particular implications for women — the largest group of health consumers and the most distrustful of post-communist reforms to the healthcare sector. The book offers guidance on navigating the new system and empowers readers to ask questions and seek better care for themselves and their families.
NEWW’s marketing campaign for the adaptation included partnering with a renowned Polish jazz singer and advertising on major feminist websites. NEWW also worked with a distributor to sell thousands of copies and has donated books to NGOs, hospitals, women’s prisons and public libraries, including the Medical Academy Gdansk Library.
To advance a broader agenda, NEWW has Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. With members in more than 30 countries, NEWW is among the largest and most respected networks in CEE/NIS and a trusted resource on gender in democratizing societies. The member roster includes human rights activists, writers, students, journalists, lawyers, parliamentarians, professors, artists, union organizers, health care workers and feminist activists, all of whom work together to promote women’s rights and strengthen women’s role and participation in civil society.
Contact
Website: http://www.neww.org/
Email: neww [AT] neww.org /Tarasiewicz [AT] neww.org.pl
Address: Ul. Miszewskiego 17/107, Gdansk 80 239 Poland
Phone: +48-58-3443853
U.S. office
Email: neww [AT] neww.org
Address: 1761 S Street, NW, Suite LL-12, Washington D.C. 20009
Phone: 202-299-9001